Pioneer Minerals (ASX:PMM) has completed a heritage survey at the Springfield Tungsten-Gold-Gallium Project within the greater North Pine Project in Idaho, US, aligning with the US Forest Service (USFS) permitting requirements.
The heritage survey has progressed Springfield closer toward drilling by providing a basis for conductive sulphide zones.
Pioneer is now undertaking an airborne versatile time domain electromagnetic (VTEM) survey at Springfield to identify conductive sulphide zones associated with the previously identified district-scale magnetic anomaly.
This electromagnetic survey intends to provide an additional dataset to refine priority drill targets ahead of a maiden drilling program.
The VTEM survey is the final major technical program in need of completion ahead of drilling, with results to be integrated with geological, geochemical, and magnetic datasets.
Maiden drilling will follow the completion of the VTEM survey and integration of its results.
CEO Michael Beven says the completion of Springfield’s heritage survey and commencement of the VTEM survey represent an “important milestone as Pioneer continues to systematically advance the Springfield Project”.
“Over the past 12 months, Pioneer has systematically de-risked the Springfield Project through geological mapping, geochemistry, airborne magnetics, independent petrographic studies, metallurgical test work, road access rehabilitation, permitting, and most recently, securing USFS drilling approval,” Beven says.
“The commencement of the VTEM survey represents another significant step in this systematic exploration strategy.
“The survey has been specifically designed to identify conductive sulphide zones associated with the 2.9km magnetic anomaly previously identified at Springfield.
“Independent petrographic studies confirmed a close association between scheelite and pyrrhotite mineralisation, making coincident magnetic and conductive anomalies our highest-priority drill targets.”
Pioneer Minerals is a uranium and lithium explorer with assets in Canada, Namibia, and the US.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Pioneer Minerals
